Abstract
In order to investigate the lightning damage behavior of an aircraft carbon fiber/epoxy composite-reinforced panel and its protection structures, four types of panels were selected to carry out a lightning experiment. Panels were without protection, with a full-sprayed aluminum coating, a local-sprayed aluminum coating, and a full-embedded copper mesh filling, respectively. Their surface and internal damage was detected via ultrasonic C-scanning. Results showed delamination damage for the protected and unprotected specimens due to substantial lightning Joule heat, thermal shock, and internal explosion. The aluminum coatings and the copper mesh had good shielding performance against anti-lightning strike damage. The protection method with a full-sprayed aluminum coating is more effective compared with the other two methods. This study is valuable to investigate the protection effectiveness of metal covers when aircraft composite structures are struck by lightning.
Highlights
Aircraft carbon fiber/epoxy composite materials are insulated and more likely to be damaged by lightning strikes due to their high anisotropic electrical and thermal conductivity
Lightning damage propagated along the fiber delamination, Lightning damagestructures, propagatedlightning significantly along theresult fiber in direction
Lightning protection strikes can the melting of metal protection structures, lightning strikes can result in the melting of metal covers, and composite damage is covers, and composite damage is inevitable
Summary
Aircraft carbon fiber/epoxy composite materials are insulated and more likely to be damaged by lightning strikes due to their high anisotropic electrical and thermal conductivity. Numerical simulation can be used as an auxiliary method, lightning experiment verification and relative damage testing is indispensable for investigating damage behavior of carbon fiber/epoxy composite materials and their protection structures. When carbon nanofiber paper mingled with nickel nanostrands covers the composite surface, research shows that electrical conductivity plays an important role in reducing composite lightning damage [13]. These lightning protection strategies are effective, lightning damage to composite specimens is unavoidable. Four different structural types are selected: without protection, with a full-sprayed aluminum coating, with a local-sprayed aluminum coating, and with a full-embedded copper mesh filling, respectively
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